Dr. ir. Wieger Wamelink (NL)

Dr. ir. Wieger Wamelink is a senior ecologist at Wageningen Environmental Science at Wageningen University & Research. Wamelink leads the Food for Mars and Moon team that started experimenting with growing plants on NASA’s Mars and Moon soil simulants in 2012. He has over 20 years of experience in experimental, field and modelling ecology after graduating as a plant breeder with speciality of plant physiology. He has (co-) authored more than 150 scientific publications and has appeared in many tv and radio shows and in many newspapers and other media.

Wieger Wamelink collaborates with other departments within Wageningen UR including the department of Mars One adviser Prof. Dr. Leo Marcelis.

"The food for Mars project was started to provide initiatives like Mars One information necessary to plan for sufficient fresh food production for future human Martians. We see this as one of the key-challenges to be able to establish a permanent settlement on Mars."